Somthing Special
by morningnight
Summary: Something Special from morningnight to her viewers. Read if you dare. One-shots.
1. Author's Note

Welcome,

This is a story known as Something Special. It is for all of those lovely people that are way to good to me and read my story. I have asked them which couples they would like to see, and they have, of course, told me. There in no particular order for who goes first and who goes last. I have just selected them in the way I saw them. If, by chance I have missed someone, please notify me (unless, of course you do not care).

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Key:

Chapter 1: Soul Hunt - Mai x Naru (Wednesday, May 16th, 2012)

Chapter 2: Mizumori Fumaira - Mai x Naru (Friday, May 18th 2012)

Chapter 3: vampirerose*- Mai x John (Tuesday, May 22th 2012)

Chapter 4: Opalle Isilei*- Mai x Naru (Monday, June 18th 2012) (part 1)

Chapter 5: Jwongzy – Mai x Naru (Tuesday, June 19th 2012)

Chapter 6: Ddurga – Mai x John (Wensday, June 20th 2012)

Chapter 7: ddurga74 - Mai x Lin (Thursday, June 21rd 2012)

Chapter 8: Ariana Taniyama – Masako x Yasuhara (Friday, June 22nd 2012)

Chapter 9: Jade Starlight – Mai x Naru (Saturday, June 23th 2012)

Chapter 10: Chrysanthia-Sunshine- Mai x Naru (Monday, June 25th 2012) (part 2)

Chapter 11: have-a-great-day- Mai x Lin

Chapter 12: - Mai x John

Chapter 13: Sebastian's Kat- Mai x Naru

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I will try to update as quickly as possible, but I cannot do everything at once. I will also be updating this page a lot to keep you informed on when updates are coming up (as shown above with Chapter 1). Since I am writing couples, I assume that everyone wants them to be love couples (they like each other if you can not figure that out), though if there is one where they are just friends, please inform me, otherwise I will write them as a love couple.

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If you have a * by your name, it just shows that you do not have an account on Fanfiction as far as I know. If you do, and you have a * by your name, please inform be as soon as possible so I may change it.

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That is all for now, and I hope to see you soon. If you have any questions or concern, you know very well how to inform me...by magic.

morningnight

I don't not, under any circumstance, own Ghost Hunt. All rights go to the Author; Fuyumi Ono


	2. Chapter 1 Soul Hunt

_Written for Soul Hunt_

Mai walked into the dark office and over to the desk that was on the far side. A young man was sitting there reading, in the light of the lamp. He did not look up at her as she walked in, nor did he look up when she placed the steaming up of tea on his desk. He would have continued to read, and ignored her completely if she hadn't stood there waiting for him.

"Yes?" he asked, not looking up from his book.

"Can I have tomorrow off?" Mai asked.

"Why?"

"Just because." She said happily. She rocked back and forth as she waited for his answer.

"Just because?" Naru glanced up at her.

"Yep."

"There has to be a reason" Naru seemed to find something interesting because he closed the book and leaned back in his chair, waiting for her to continue.

"Nope none!"She said with a smile on his face.

"Then no" Naru opened his book and began to read again.

"Why not?" Mai pouted.

"Because if there is no reason for you to take off, then why would I let you? There are a lot more things you could do here."

"I know but I have something planned." Mai said pleadingly. She walked up to the desk and bend down, looking Naru in the face.

"Then tell me!" Naru said as he sat up and closed the book. He leaned forward on the desk, waiting, staring her in the eyes.

"I-um…" Mai stood up straight, looking away as her face got bright red. "Its nothing, never mind!" Naru watcher her go, wondering what she was freaking out about. Thinking it was something stupid, he went back to work.

An hour later, Naru was starting to get bored. He had not heard from Mai since she had stormed out and his tea cup has been empty long then he would like. He placed the book down on his desk and stared at the tea cup. There were a few drops left, but not enough to try to take a sip. A though then occurred to him. So, Naru stood up and walked to his door.

Mai stood in front of her desk, staring at some files she had just finished. She had been hard at work for a while now, trying to finish the work she needed so she could take the day off tomorrow. She had so much she had to do, she was exhausted. She sighed to herself as she asked herself aloud "What am I going to do?"

"You could start by answering my question." said a voice behind her. Mai turned around to find Naru standing there, leaning on the door way.

"What question?" Mai asked confused.

"Why you need to take tomorrow off." He answered her. He pushed off the door frame and slowly made his way to her, a smirk on his face.

"Like I said it's nothing." Mai said as she turned around, her face going a little red. She felt something behind her and turned to find Naru standing inches away from her. "What are you-"

"Are you sure? Your face is really red." Naru said as he cut her off. "Let me guess, is it…. a date?"

"How did you-" Mai said, her face going even redder.

"I'm not an idiot Mai. Plus I heard you and Takigawa talking about it yesterday." Naru's hand reached up and brushed the hair from her face. "Or where you just trying to make me jealous?" he whispered, leaning in closer to her. Mai suddenly began aware of their closeness. She could feel his warm breath on her skin, his hand on her cheek, his eyes looking at him with such intentness. Mai pushed up against the desk, but he just got closer and closer.

"Well I-" Mai started to say, remembering the question he had asked through her clouded mind.

"Well what?" Naru asked.

"…"

"Mai?" Naru asked suddenly sounding like his old self.

"Hmm?" was all Mai could say.

"I'm out of tea." He said plainly before taking a step back and turning to walk back to his office. Mai just stood there for a moment, trying to register what had happened. Once she realized she couldn't, she just turned and headed to the kitchen to make him more tea. She could feel her heart beating quickly as she got the tea ready. Once it was, she walked over to his office door before knocking. When she didn't hear a response, she automatically walked in. He was sitting behind his desk, reading the same book he had been reading earlier.

She walked up to the desk and placed down the cup of fresh tea on his desk. She then turned and headed for the door, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. She was almost out to the door when a voice stopped her.

"Mai?"

"Yes?" She asked slowly turning to him, her hand on the handle.

"You do realize that I cannot give you the day off because you have a date right?" Naru said as he looked up at her.

"Why not?" Mai asked turning to face him completely. "I already finished my work!"

"I know."

"Then what is the problem?" Mai asked confused.

"You never answered my question." Naru said as he placed the book down on the desk and stood up.

"What question?" she asked, suddenly calm. She could not remember him asking her anything. Naru walked out from around his desk and walked over to her, stopping a few feet away. She just looked up at him confused.

"If you are only going on that date to make me jealous." Naru said, stepping a little closer to her.

"No, of course not!" Mai yelled.

"Then why?" A smirk appeared on his face as he got even closer to her.

"Well, because he is nice and kind. And he isn't a narcissistic jerk and he doesn't treat me like I am an idiot." She yelled at him.

"Well maybe he should."

"And why is that?" Mai asked, suddenly anger at him again. She could not believe he had just said that to her face.

"Because you are." Naru said. He took once last step closer, stopping inches away from her. Mai didn't seem to notice this, because of the confliction in her mind. Naru decided to take advantage of that.

"What do you-" A pair of soft lips crashed into hers, cutting her off. Mai pushed up against the door from the suddenly force, the pressure on her lips growing. A pair of hands appeared on her sides, pulling her closer to him. Her eyes lids fell as she unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, entangling her fingers in his hair. She pulled him closer to her as she backed up to the door, using it to keep him close. As Naru felt her back into the door, he put his hands on either of her, keeping her pinned there. It wasn't until they both needed air that they broke apart.

Mai just stared up at Naru, completely shocked at what had just happened. Naru had just kissed her, and for no reason that she could think of.

"Are you sure it because you aren't trying to make me jealous?" Naru said as he watched her stare up at him. "Because he seems like the guy who is the exact opposite of what you like."

"Well I…um…" Mai tried to form words, but could not think of anything to say.

"You what?" Naru asked, curious about the answer. Mai just looked away, her face going bright red. She mumbled something under her breath, but Naru did not catch it. "What did you say?" he asked. She repeated it a little louder, but not loud enough for him to hear. "You are going to have to speak more clearly Mai, otherwise no one will be able to hear you."

"I said maybe a little." Her face was bright red by now and she continuously avoided eye contact with him.

"Well it worked." Naru said. Mai looked up at him surprised, but before she could say anything, he had captured her lips once more.


	3. Chapter 2 Mizumori Fumaira

_Written for Mizumori Fumaira_

_(decreed by whitephoenix18)  
_

Mai turned and headed towards the door calling to Naru as she put on her coat. "Naru, I'm leaving now!"

"And where are you going?" Naru asked suddenly appearing at his open door. Mai turned around and surprised to him. She stared at him, fixing her coat as she asked "What do you mean?"

Lin's office door opened and he stepped out. As he closed it behind him, he noticed Mai standing by the door and Naru glaring at him. He looked between the two for a moment, before walking over to Mai. From the corner of Naru's eyes, he watched as Mai face go bright red.

"Hey Lin." She said quietly as he reached her. He nodded to her in recognition.

"Naru I'm leaving early." Lin said as he grabbed his coat from the coat rack and walking out.

"I guess I am leaving now too." Mai said quickly as she quickly following after him.

"Wait, Mai!" Naru called after her but the door had already closed behind her. She was gone. Naru stood there, staring at the door that Mai had just left.

Naru turned and walked back inside his office, slamming his office door shut. He walked over to his desk and opened the book that was on it and he began to read the contents. This had been happening a lot lately. Mai and Lin both would leave early everyday together and then they would come in late the next day. Naru let it go for the first few days, thinking it was nothing, but then those days turned into weeks. It became such a habit with the two, that Naru was surprised when they didn't leave together.

Naru tried to ask Lin about it once, but he ignored him and pretended he had no idea what he was talking about. So, Naru tried to ask Mai about it, but she would go bright red and run away with some silly excuse.

It has gotten to the point where Naru had started to think of different things that they were doing together. Naru slammed the book shut, not wanting to think about what they were doing. Mai probably had homework to do and had to leave early and Lin was just giving her a ride home. That was all. Naru stood up and decided that he was going to go home. There was nothing else he could do here and it pointless to try to find something.

_The next day_

Naru sat at his desk, looking at his clock every few minutes. Mai was already two hours late and Lin also still had not yet show up as well. He had heard Lin come in late last night, but didn't bother to wake him up this morning, thinking he would wake up shortly after he left anyway.

Naru glanced at the clock again. They were now two hours and five minutes late. Feeling annoyed, Naru looked at the book he had been staring at since he had arrived. He wanted more then anything for them to tell him what was going on.

The front door opened and Naru heard voicing. Listening closely, he heard a giggle; one that he knew was from Mai.

"I really had fun! We should do it again after work today."

"I think that would be great, though I don't think that is a good idea." said a voice that belonged to Lin. Naru stood up and walked over to the door, pressing his ear up against the door, listening to them closely.

"Why not?" Mai asked. She sounded like she was pouting.

"I don't want Naru to get too suspicious." Lin said. His voice had gotten closer. "It would not be a good thing."

"Okay." Mai said quietly. It was quiet for some time, before Mai spoke up again. "But let's do it again…soon."

"Alright." came Lin's voice as Naru heard his footsteps and the sound of a door opening and closing.

Suddenly, Naru heard a knock on his door. He jumped back in surprised before he heard Mai's voice float through. "Hey, Naru, I am here now, would you like some tea?"

Naru opened the door and saw Mai standing there, smiling up at him.

"What I would like to know is why you are two hours late."

"Well technically I am two hours and fifteen minutes late." Mai said, then realizing her mistake, smiled up at him and continued. "It was nothing. I was just out with-" Mai cut herself off. "I just slept in."

"Do you think I am stupid?" Naru asked.

"No why?"  
"Then tell me why you came in late."

'"I just slept in late that's it!" Mai yelled at Naru. He opened his mouth to say something but Mai cut him off. "I will go get your tea" she turned and walked away before he could say anything else. Naru watched her go, wanting her to come back. He wanted her to stop lying to him. He looked at Lin's door, wanting more then anything to knock down the door and ask him what he was doing with Mai everyday.

Holding back the urge, Naru walked over to his desk and sat down, opening the book he had been reading earlier and began look over the words that were on the page. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get those thought of what they might be doing out of his head.

There was a knock on his door and Mai walked in. She walked up to his desk and placed down a fresh cup of tea. She then bowed and walked out, not saying a word to him. Naru watched her go, not saying a word.

It was like this for the next few days, each day getting worse and worse. Mai and Lin would come in even later and then leave even earlier. It got to the point where they would only spend an hour or two in the office all day.

Naru would barely say anything to Mai, when she was in the office and if she called him after hours, he would pretend he did not hear his phone go off. When she tried to ask him a question, he would just nod his head and pretend to be working on something that was already done.

There was a knock on Naru's door and Mai walked in with fresh tea. She walked over to his desk like she did everyday and then would bow and turned to leave.

"Mai." Naru said. Mai stopped suddenly, not expecting to hear him say anything. "I want an answer." He said. She turned to face him confused. "Tell me where you have been going with Lin."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Mai said before turning and walking quickly to the door. "I think I left the burner on." Mai reached out for the door handle and pulled it open before it was slammed shut. Mai looked to her right to find an arm there, keeping it closed.

"Don't run away from me. I asked you a question, now answer it." Naru said. Mai turned to find him inches from her.

"I well…um..I left the burner on…so I have to go-"

"You didn't leave the burner on, so now answer my question." Naru said in a quiet voice.

"I told you nothing is going on!" Mai yelled at him. "I have just been extremely busy with some of my homework and projects that is all!"

"Then explain why Lin is leaving with you early, or why you both keep coming in late. And if I remember correctly, this is the first time I have heard anything about you having extra homework and projects."

"Well I…um…"

There was a knock on the door. Naru looked up to hear Lin's voice drift in. "Naru is Mai in there with you?"

"Yes, why?" Naru asked, not letting Mai speak.

"She left the burner on in the kitchen."

"I told you!" Mai said before pushing Naru back a little and opening the door. Naru looked up at Lin who was standing there, watching Mai run off to the kitchen. Lin looked back up at Naru for a brief moment before heading back into his office.

The next day, Naru walked into work to find no one there. It did not surprise him at all. He walked into his office and sat down, waiting for them to come in. They did not. Naru waited all day, but no one came into the office. It was normal for Mai to some times not show up, but for Lin to not come and to not tell Naru was something new to him. He started to wonder where Lin was when a thought occurred to him. He was probably with Mai.

Sighing to himself, Naru stood up and walked to the door. He grabbed his coat and put it on before locking up and beginning to walk home. The sun was still setting, so it wasn't too dark that Naru couldn't see where he was going, but it was still pretty late. He walked in silence, thinking of all the things that could have kept Lin out of work. The only one that he could think of was Mai.

Naru stopped and pulled out his phone. He dialed Lin's number and waited. He didn't pick up. Naru hung up and dialed another number. She didn't pick up. Naru put his phone back into his pocket before continuing down the street. It didn't take long before Naru had reached his apartment building. He walked up the stairs and over to his room. The lights were on. He remembered shutting them off when he left this morning. He twisted the door knob and it opened. It wasn't even locked. Naru pushed opened the door and walked inside. Suddenly…

"Surprise!" screamed people as they jumped out from behind objects. Naru stopped, and looked around the room. The thing that bothered him wasn't the strange balloons in his house or that people were hiding behind things or the party hats that everyone was wearing, which made them look ridiculous. It was that there were people in his apartment without him knowing about it.

"What is going on." Naru asked as he walked in.

"Happy birthday!" Mai yelled as she skipped over to him and hugged him. Naru just stared down at her, not moving.

"Yea, why didn't you tell us it was your birthday huh?" Bou-san asked.

"Because this might happen." Naru said to himself as he looked around at the other people here. Bou-san, Ayako, John, Masako, Yasuhara and Mai were all here. Even Lin, who was standing against the wall was here, a small smile on his face. "Why are you all even here?" Naru asked as Mai let go and ran off somewhere.

"Because it's your birthday silly!" Ayako said as she walked over to him. She gave him a hug and when he didn't hug her back she slowly moved away from him. She could feel his glare on her.

"Happy Birthday!" John said from his seat by the table. He looked extremely happy and uncomfortable at the same time.

"It's time for your present Naru!" Mai yelled as she came around the corner. There was something in her hands that Naru couldn't see. Once she reached him and held it up, Naru felt his heart stop. In her hands, was none other then a yellow fluff ball.

"Isn't it cute!" she said as she held the puppy up to his face. Its dark brown eyes stared up at him, a little whine coming from it as it titled its head.

"If you can call it that." Naru said under his breath.

"Here hold it!" Mai said as she trust it at Naru. Naru quickly grabbed a hold of the puppy that was being placed upon him. "It was Lin's idea. He said you needed something cute! That's why we have been leaving work together, so we can find you this cute puppy."

"I don't want a puppy." Naru said plainly as it wiggled in his hands.

"Aw but you look so cute with it!" Mai said as she smiled up at him. Naru looked from her to the puppy back to her. He didn't think he had a choice in the matter. He was going to have to keep it.

Naru glanced up at Lin as everyone else started to give him his present, which he knew he wouldn't want. A small smirk stayed on Lin's face the rest of the night as he watched Naru struggle with his new found friend.


	4. Chapter 3 vampirerose

_Written for vampirerose_

Mai leaned up against the wall, smiling at up him. He took a step closer to her, placing his arms on her side. He then leaned down to Mai, standing only a few inches taller then her and placed his soft lips on hers. He hesitated for a moment before kissing her softly. Mai wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, her fingers entangled themselves in his soft blonde hair that hung low on his neck. She kissed him passionately, knowing that this moment would not last, no matter how much they tried to.

He pulled back a little, allowing some air into his lungs. Mai opened her eyes and stared into his blue one, wishing they could stay this way forever.

"I love you." She whispered to him, before leaning up and placing her lips on his. He began to kiss her again. She pulled him closer, taking in as much of him as she could before the moment passed.

"I think we should get back." She heard him whisper as he pulled away.

"I know…" Mai said quietly. "….but I don't want to." He smiled down at her before releasing her from his grasp.

"Let's go back okay?" He said as he gestured for her to walk, but she just stood there, not wanting to move. He smiled at her with his soft smile, the one that made her fall in love with him in the first place.

"Fine." Mai said as she pushed herself off the wall and stood up. She walked past him and back towards base, where everyone was waiting for them to return.

As she opened the door, everyone looked up at her. She smiled to them as she walked over to the couch where she sat down. Seconds later, the door opened and John walked in, a smile on his face. He quickly glanced at Mai before shifting his eyes to everyone else in the room. He walked over to a chair on the far side and sat down, waiting for the meeting to begin.

An hour later, when the meeting was coming to a close, everyone seemed to have become tired. Naru, seemed to be the most, but he did not show it.

"Mai tea" Naru said, not looking up from the file in his hand. Mai sighed and stood up, before leaving the room to head towards the kitchen.

She walked down the hallway, her thoughts filled with what had happened earlier in the same hallway she was walking down now. The way he had kissed her softly, yet with passion still lingered on her lips. She reached up and touched her lips unconsciously as she thought of it.

She pushed opened the door to the kitchen and walked over to the stove. She turned the burn on as she filled the kettle with water. She then went to the cabinet and pulled out some cups, enough for everyone to have one.

Suddenly something wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from the counter.

"Is that for me?" whispered a voice in her ear. Mai looked to find Yasuhara standing there.

"Yasu you scared me!" Mai said as she pulled away from him. "and what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the base with Naru and the others?"

"Well I got bored, so I came to visit you!" Yasuhara said happily. "So whatcha doin'~?"

"Making tea, what else?" Mai said as she smiled at his carefree tone. The fact that he just got up and left the base was pretty stupid within itself.

"Huh…boring! Let's play a game!" Yasuhara said. "I spied with my little eyes something in the hallway earlier…" Mai felt her face go red. She didn't know if she was embarrassed, excited or scared. Embarrassed because Yasuhara saw them together, but excited that he did seem them. She didn't like keeping this a secret, but she knew it was better this way. And that's what made her scared. If anyone else knew about her and John, he would lose his priesthood and be kicked out of the Catholic Church, and Mai knew how much he loved it there. She didn't want him to suffer because of her.

"Um, Yasuhara, Kazuya wants to see you." said a voice in the doorway. Mai and Yasuhara turned around to find John standing in the doorway.

"John!" Mai said, surprised to see him here. "What are you doing here?" She asked nervously, afraid he might have heard what Yasuhara had said.

"Kazuya asked me to come get you because you just walked out." He said with a smile. Mai couldn't tell what he was thinking, which made her very worried. "Also, Mai, Kazuya said you are taking too long with the tea."

"Okay~" Yasuhara said with a large smile before heading back to base, leaving John and Mai alone. Mai turned back to the kettle that hadn't boiled yet, to embarrassed and afraid to look at John.

"How's the tea?" said John as he walked over to her. Mai turned to find John standing behind her, looking at the kettle.

"Good I guess, though it's not ready yet." Mai said turning back to stare at the kettle.

"So we have some free time…?" John asked, a normal smile on his face

"I guess." Mai said, her heart pounding against her chest. She felt really bad about this. If she hadn't kissed him in the hallway, Yasuhara wouldn't have seen them, and John's job wouldn't be at risk.

A hand reached around and grabbed Mai's chin, making her head turn towards him. He placed his lips on her, waiting for her to kiss him back. When she did, he turned her around completely, embracing her in his arms. Mai wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, adding a little pressure and passion to their soft kiss.

This was the best they could do. Their relationship was a secret and it had to stay that way. John was a priest, and according to the Catholic law, he could not fall in love with anyone, unless he chooses to give up on his priesthood. So they both settled for this, something that they wish they could change.

John pulled back when he felt sometime wet touch his cheek.

"Mai, what's wrong?" he asked. A small tear had fallen.

"I'm sorry." Mai whispered.

"For what?" he asked. He bent his head, trying to get a better look of her face, which was faced down so he could not see.

"Yasuhara knows. He knows about us…I think." Mai did not look up. She did want to see the expression that was on his face. "He saw us in the hallway earlier and…and" More tears started to form in her eyes. "And I'm sorry I never meant-" Mai was cut off when John pressed his lips to her. She was stunned for a moment, before she slid into the kiss. John then pulled back and looked at her.

"Do you think I really care about that?"

"But what about your job? If word gets out, you will lose your priesthood and then you won't be able to work with S.P.R anymore! How can you not be worried about that?"

"I am not worried, because I was planning on leaving anyway." John said. Mai just stared up at him, unable to say anything. "I know that a priest can not date anyone, that's why I was planning on leaving."

"You can't do that! Why would you even think that?"

"Because I love you" John said. "And I want to be with you, and I am willing to get rid of anything that stands in my way of that."

"But…" Mai said, not knowing what to say. "…..John."

John leaned in closer, before kissing her, knowing that she was stuck on what to say. He didn't want her to worry about this. It was his choice and he didn't want her to think about it at all.

A whistle from behind Mai pulled them apart. Mai quickly turned around and pulled the kettle off of the burner and began to pour the water into the cups. Her thoughts on nothing but what John had said.

As Mai finished preparing the tea, John and Mai both stayed quiet. Even as they walked down the hallway, back to base, they did not say one word to each other. Mai was too worried about how much Yasuhara had told them to even think about talking to John. He was giving up everything he had worked on for her.

John held open the door as Mai shyly stepped into the room. Everyone looked up at them, but said nothing. Mai walked over to the coffee table that was in the center of the room and placed down the tray with the cups. She picked up Naru's cup before everyone else in the room went to grab theirs. She walked over to Naru and held out the cup for him. He looked up at her before back down at his book.

"This thing that is going on, what ever it is, better not interfere with your work." He whispered so only she could hear. "It also better not interfere with his either."

"Yasuhara …" Mai whispered, now knowing that he had said something.

"Has said nothing. I am just not an idiot."Naru replied. Without looked up he reached for his teach and took a sip of it. Mai turned back to look at John, who was sitting next to Bou-san and listening to his story. He had obliviously said something wrong, because Ayako hit him over the head. John began to laugh at this before his eyes caught Mai's. He gave her a small smile.

"How long have you known?" Mai asked turning back to Naru. He looked up at her.

"Since the very beginning. You are not a very good lair." Naru said as he took another sip.

"And your not bothered by it?" she asked, hoping he would say no. If he was, then there might be a problem.

"As I had said before, as long as it does not interfere with your or his work, I don't care." Naru turned the page in his book, ignoring her completely now.

"Thank you." Mai said before turning around and heading over to where everyone was at. She sat down and joined in on the conversation, acting as if the last conversation hadn't happened. After while, Mai turned to John, who was sitting next to him. "Hey John." She whispered. He looked at her, while Yasuhara was saying something to Bou-san. "I'm really happy." She said, a smile tracing her lips. She didn't know why she was happy. Whether it be from Naru letting her and John be together, or that John was giving up on his career so that he can be with her, or whether just the fact that they were together, she was happy.

"That's good." John said with a smile.

"Did you say something?" Ayako asked, turning to the two of them. Everyone looked at them, waiting for them to speak.

"Oh it was nothing!" John said, as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. No one seemed to notice this because they went on talking like nothing had happened. John turned to Mai and smiled at her, knowing that as long as she was happy, so was he.


	5. Chapter 4 Opalle Isilei

_Written for Opalle Isilei_

_(part 1)  
_

"Naru" Mai called through the door. There was no answer. "Naru" Mai called again, but there was no answer. So, she pushed open the door and looked inside. Sitting behind his desk that was in the back of the room was a teenage boy. His raven black hair fell in front of his dark blue eyes hiding them from her view. She took a step in the room, carrying his tea on a tray. "Naru?" she asked again. He did not reply.

Mai walked over to his desk and set the tea down on it, watching him curiously. In his hand was one of the many books he had read. It just sat there on his desk, untouched. She looked up at his face to find that his usually bored expression of annoyance was gone and replaced with a peaceful and softness one. The dark blue eyes that Mai loved to stare into were closed.

_He must be a sleep._ She thought. Then a thought occurred to her. She placed down the tray and walked behind the desk. She brought her face close to his, almost touching it. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as she did this.

Mai inhaled the scent before taking a deep breath and-

"What are you doing?" came a voice as two blue eyes snapped opened.

"Ah!" Mai screamed as she jumped back. She had intended to scream Naru's name in order to wake him up but it seemed that he was already awake. "You scared me." She said as she tried to calm down as her hand went to her chest.

"What are you doing?" Naru repeated as he sat up straight and closed the book on his desk.

"I watching you sleep." Mai said plainly. Naru glared up at her.

"Why, may I ask?"

"Because you looked peaceful and I wanted to wake you." Mai said happily. "Though why are you sleeping here? If you're tired, go home."

"The reason I am sleeping here is because I can't sleep at home."

"Oh, why not?"

"Stupid dog." Naru mumbled.

"What?" Mai asked, not hearing him.

"Don't you have work you should be doing?" Naru asked as he glared up at her.

"Oh right!" Mai said before running out of the room. Naru watched after her, confused.

A few hours later, Mai decided to go home. There were no customers today and since no one had made an appointment, she thought it would be okay. As she shut everything down and got ready to go, she looked at the door labeled CEO. Naru had been in there all day and had not asked her once for more tea. So, Mai thought she should go make some before she left. It was the least she could do. As she waited for the tea, her thoughts drifted to things that might keep Naru awake at home. There was the fact that he might have a lot of work, or some new noisy neighbors. There could actually be a lot of reasons.

There was a whistle behind Mai, which told her to take the kettle off of the burner. She poured the water into the cup and let the tea bag soak a little more.

She carried the tea to the door and knocked. No one answered. Mai opened the door and looked inside. Naru was sitting in his chair, in the shadow of the lamp that was on his desk. She walked over and placed the tea on the table quietly. She glanced up to find that Naru was once again asleep.

"Naru?" she asked quietly. He did not answer. She walked behind the desk and stopped. There was no way he had fallen asleep again. He has to be playing with her. Any minute now, he would wake up and yell at her for standing there looking like an idiot. But he did not wake.

"Naru?" Mai asked a little louder, but nothing happened. The most that she got out of him was when he took a deep breath, but that was it. Mai looked closer and found that he had dark bags under his eyes. Maybe he really was exhausted.

"Mai." called a voice. Mai looked to find Lin in the door way. "I'm going home. Will you be alright walking?"

"Oh, ah yea." Mai said, suddenly embarrassed for no reason. Lin nodded before turning to leave. Mai looked back down at Naru.

_Should I leave him here? Will he be okay if I do?_ Mai thought to herself. She didn't know what to do, other then…

"Hey Naru." Mai said as she poked him. He let out a moan of complaint, but did nothing more, so Mai shook him. "Naru wake up."

"What?" Naru said harshly. He looked up at Mai with sleepy, annoyed eyes.

"Come home with me."

"What?" Naru asked, not sure if he had heard right.

"Come home with me." Mai repeated. "If you are having trouble sleeping at home, maybe sleeping at my house will help. Plus I have an extra bedroom you can use so you don't have to get the couch." Mai said with a smile. Naru stared up at her, unable to think of anything to say.

"Fine." Naru sighed. Mai jumped happily. "But only because I am desperate." He said as he stood up. Mai frowned at him as she followed him out of his office and out the door.

They walked in silence for some time, waiting for the other to break the silence.

"So um…Naru" Mai said, trying to think of something to say. The silence between them was killing her, and she wanted nothing more then for it to end.

"Yes?" Naru asked, not looking down at her.

"How is work?" Mai asked without thinking. Naru looked down at her confused.

"Why do you ask?" Naru asked, trying to hold back on the insults. He didn't want to say something that would get him locked out of her apartment.

"I'm just curious." Mai said, surprised that he actually was being nice. She looked up at him to find that he was looking straight ahead. The thought of his face while he was sleeping floated into her head and she suddenly went red. She hid her face from his by looking down, hoping he didn't notice.

"Its fine I guess. I mean you do work there." Naru said, ending the conversation.

"Oh, right." Mai said, still not looking up. She went silent and decided to stay that way for the rest of the way.

"Mai" Naru called from behind her. Mai turned around to find that Naru had stopped. "Isn't this where you live?" He asked, pointing to the building next to him. Mai looked up to find that it was the building that she lived in and how she didn't notice it earlier made her feel even more embarrassed.

Mai then lead the way up to her room, Naru following her silently the whole way. As she walked down the hall to her room, she got out her keys and began to fumble with them, looking for the right one. Why she had so many keys in the first place confused her mostly because she didn't even use more then half of them.

"Here we are." Mai said as she opened the door and lead Naru inside. She took off her shoes and put on the slippers that were waiting for her. "Let me get you some slippers." She said as she walked into the other room. Naru took off his shoes and waited for her to come back with the slippers. When she did, she put them on the ground for him and waited for him to put them on before leading him into the house.

"This is the living room." She said as she entered the room. It was a simple room. There was a couch with a TV in front of it. There were some pictures on the wall of what Naru assumed were of friends and a mirror in the far corner. "The kitchen is through there." Mai said as she pointed to the small kitchen that was connected to the living room.

Mai then lead Naru to the back where there was a hallway. "This is my room." She said as she pointed to the first door. "You can sleep in the second door on the right. The second on the left is the bathroom and the first on the right is a closet where I keep towels and things, if you need them."

"Alright" Naru said as he walked towards his room. He opened the door and closed it without saying anything else. Mai stood there for a moment before turning to go to her room.

Mai got changed into her pajamas and brushed her hair before going over to her bed.

"Maybe I should make Naru some tea before I go to bed." Mai said. She looked at her door, wondering if it would be alright to disturb him. "Well even if he doesn't want it now, he can always drink it later." Mai said as she walked out of her room and into her kitchen. She quickly made his tea before carefully walking down the hall to his room. She knocked, but there was no answer. She opened the door and looked inside.

Naru had the lights out, but Mai could clearly see him lying on his bed, fast asleep. She quietly walked over to the night stand that was next to him and placed down the cup of tea. She then turned around and walked out, shutting the door as quietly as she could. She then went down the hall and back to her room.

As Mai walked over to her bed in the darkness, there was a flash from out the window and a loud bang echoed all around. Mai jumped at the suddenness of it. Rain suddenly started to pour down on the window, hitting the glass with such force, that it startled Mai.

She put her hand over her chest as she heard her heart pounding over the sound of the rain.

"It's just rain Mai." Mai told herself as she tried to calm down. She got into bed and pulled the covers over her and tried to block out the pounding rain and roaring thunder that was outside of her window. After some time, she fell asleep.

_CRACK_

The noise broke through the silent skies, waking Mai from her sleep. She sat up as a flash of lighting shot down, blinding her for a moment. Mai put her hand to her chest, as she tried to calm down. Her heart was pounding against her chest, making her even more scared then she was already.

_BANG BANG BANG_

Mai jumped up as the sounded echoed around her small apartment. Someone was out side her door.

_BANG BANG BANG_

Mai jumped out of her bed as a second boom echoed outside her window. She ran to her door and threw it open, running out of the room. She ran down the hall and to the second door on the right. She threw open the door and ran at the bed that was in the far corner of the room. She jumped onto the bed and pushed herself against the wall.

"Naru" Mai whispered as she looked all around. Mai flinched as more bangs came through her apartment. A third thunder echoed the sky and she pushed herself closer to the wall. "Naru, wake up!" Mai whispered as she looked at him. Naru was lying next to her on the bed, none of what was happening reaching his ears. "Naru!" Mai screamed as she reached out and shook him.

"What?" Naru asked in a groan as he woke up. He looked up at her with an annoyed expression. "What are you doing?" He asked, too tired to put any harshness in his voice.

"Naru there is someone at the door." Mai said. Then on cue, more bangs echoed through.

"Mai." Naru said with annoyance in his voice. "Did you think of, I don't know, answering it?"

"But what if it is a ghost?" Mai asked. Naru stared up at her, not sure whether she was joking or not. Then, having enough of this game, he stood up and walked out of the room. Mai followed after him.

Naru walked to the door and opened it as Mai hid behind the wall, listening to what was going on.

"Oh-ah" said a voice when Naru opened the door. "Where is Taniyama-san?" asked what sounded like an older woman.

"She is..." Naru thought about it for a moment. There was a lot he could say. That she was hiding in his room or that she was too frighten to answer the door, or that she had simply lost her mind and decided to wake up her boss in the middle of the night because she wanted to play games with him. Either answer was correct. "…unavailable at the moment."

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to make sure everything was fine. The storm knocked out the electricity and I wanted to check up on everyone. For all I know, they could have been using an electronic and had gotten electrocuted when the power went out."

"We are fine. Thank you for checking up on us." Naru said in a light, sweet tone.

"Y-Your welcome." The lady said before shuffling away. Naru closed the door and walked around the corner.

"It was the building manger. Are you happy now?" Naru asked, going back to his tired and annoyed self. Mai just nodded her head, still looking a bit frighten. Lighting shot across the sky and lit up the room, making Mai jump. Naru sighed to himself as he watched her become a frightened puppy. "Will you be able to go to bed?" Naru asked her. She shook her head sadly.

"But you can." Mai said, looking down at the ground. "I'll just turn the TV on and turn up the volume so that I won't hear the thunder."

"The powers out." Naru stated. Mai looked up at him surprised. "The manger just said it was not even five minutes ago, weren't you paying attention?"

"Not really." Mai said. They stood there for a moment, in another awkward silence. "Hey Naru."

"Yes?" Naru sighed.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"What?" Naru asked. The thunder had kicked in as she was speaking and he wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Mai repeated. Naru stared down at her, confusion consuming him. "In your bed. Maybe if I have someone next to me, the storm won't seem as bad."

"And why would I let you do that?" Naru asked.

"Because if I don't sleep, then it will affect my work and you hate it when I take naps." Mai said, looking up at him. She was right. If she stayed up all night because of the storm, then she will be tired tomorrow, and if she is tired tomorrow, then she will take a nap, which will mean nothing will get done. She left him with no other option.

"Fine." He said. "But you stay on your side."

"Okay!" Mai said as she followed him back to the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 5 Jwongzy

_Written for Jwongzy_

Mai opened the door to the SPR office and closed it quickly, careful not to let any of the cold winter air in. She took off her coat and hung it up on the coat rack before heading over to her desk. Carefully, she placed down the bag she had been carrying and put her book bag next to it. As she was heading into the kitchen, she heard a door open behind her. She didn't have to turn around to see who it was.

"Don't worry. I am making your tea." Mai said to the teenage boy standing behind her in the doorway.

"Then you would like to explain why you are late?" came his voice. Mai sighed as she put the kettle on the burner and turned around. She saw the boy wearing his normal all black attire with his dark blue eyes hiding behind his raven black hair.

"I had to go to school, and they asked me to stay a little while afterwards to help clean up." Mai answered.

"A little why does not mean two hours." Naru stated as he turned around. "I guess you will have to stay a little while after work to make up what you couldn't do before." Naru turned around and headed back to his office. Mai stood there for a moment before sticking her tongue out at him and going back to preparing his tea.

Once it was done, she placed the two tea cups on the tray and carried them to her co-workers. She knocked on the first door and heard a grunt that told her to come in. She opened the door and walked over to the desk where Lin was sitting, typing on his computer.

"Here you are." Mai said as she placed the tea down next to him. He nodded to her in thanks. She smiled and turned to walk out, closing the door behind her. She then walked to the next door and knocked on it. There was a low "Come in".

Mai opened the door and walked to the desk that was in the far part of the room. She placed down the cup of tea in front of him before standing up straight, waiting for a thank you. Naru took a sip of his tea before looking up at her and saying. "The clean up after school was actually a party, correct? And the bag that is sitting on your desk is the left over cupcakes you made last night."

"….yes…" Mai said in defeat. She knew Naru was mad at her for lying. Naru sighed and went back to his book. "What gave it away?" Mai asked.

"You have pink frosting on you cheek" Naru pointed out. Mai's face went red as she quickly wiped away the frosting, but it was too late. "Not to mention, you went home last night saying you had to make cupcakes for today and that you would be a little late coming to work today."

"If I said that, why did you ask why I was late?" Mai asked, getting annoyed with him.

"Why didn't you remember?" Naru answered her. She stared at him, trying to think of something to say to him, but it was kinda hard. "I believe you have work to do." Naru said as he gestured towards the door. Mai couldn't think to say anything, so she just turned around and stormed out.

Mai sat at her desk, fuming about what Naru had said. What the hell was that about? He could have been nicer about it. And so what if I stayed after school to celebrate someone's birthday? It's not a crime and he should act like it is one.

"Mai" said a voice, breaking Mai from her thoughts. She looked up to find Lin standing in his doorway. "Can you go to this address and pick something up for me please?"

"Oh, ah yea!" Mai said standing up. She ran over to him and got the paper with the address and the item she was picking up. She then got her coat from the rack and put it on before going out in the cold winter's day.

About half an hour later, Mai opened the door and walked back into the warm office. It had begun to snow outside, and Mai thought she would freeze to death before she got back.

"Maybe I should have brought a warmer coat." Mai said to herself as she took off her coat and tried to heat herself up. She looked around to find that the office was exactly the way she left it. She hung up her coat and walked over to the kitchen. She might as well make some tea while she is waiting to warm up. As she waited for the water to boil, she looked at the package that Lin had asked her to get. It was on her desk, next to her open bag of cupcakes.

_Wait_ Mai thought. _I thought I closed those._

Mai stood up and walked over to the bag and looked inside. The cupcakes were still in there untouched. She counted them in her head for a moment before stopping. _There are thirteen cupcakes. I thought I had fourteen._ Mai thought to herself as the whistle from the kettle went off. She went into the kitchen and took the kettle off of the burner before pouring them into the cups and placing them on a tray. She then picked up the tray and went to grab the package as she headed to Lin's office. She knocked on the door with her foot.

"Come in." Mai heard Lin say through the door. She pushed open the door and walked over to his desk. She handed him the packages and then placed down the cup of tea next to him. "Thank you." He said as she picked up his empty cup from earlier. She then walked out of his office, closing the door behind her. Mai then walked to the other door and knocked.

"Come in." called a voice. Mai entered and walked over to the desk where he boss was. She placed down the cup of tea on his desk and as she grabbed for the empty one she noticed something. "What?" Naru asked as he noticed that she was staring at him.

"You have…" Mai said, her sentence trailing off. She pointed at something on his face, but he didn't know what he was talking about. "Pink frosting." Mai said. She bent over the desk a little, getting close to Naru. He moved back a little, not sure what she was doing. "You took one of my cupcakes!" Mai said. She didn't seem angry, but she didn't seem happy about it either.

"No I didn't" Naru stated, remaining calm. Mai was now inches from his face, and still moving closer.

"Then what is this?" Mai asked as she reached up and licked the frosting off of Naru's face. Naru stared at her, confused and shocked at the same time. Mai pulled back and looked at him. "If you wanted one, you could just have asked for one."

"I wouldn't have needed one if you were here to bring me my tea when I called for you." Naru said, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"Lin asked me to go on an errant. I was only gone for a half an hour." Mai answered. "I'm sure you could have waited until I got back. And plus, how is a cupcake a substitute for tea? Wouldn't that have made you even hungrier?"

"Well it doesn't matter, because you are here now with my tea." Naru said as he grabbed the cup and took a sip of it.

"Whatever" Mai said as she stood up and grabbed the tray. She then walked out of the room, not looking back once. She went over to the kitchen and put the cups in the sink and turned the water on. She let them soak in the water for a minute as she grabbed a cupcake that was on the counter for her and began to eat it. She finished it quickly before going to wash the glasses. It was then that she realized what she had done.

_Did I just-? _Mai thought back to the scene in the office where she had licked frosting off of Naru's cheek. Mai dropped the cups in the sink, which made a loud noise as they hint the bottom. Her face started to grow red the longer she thought about it.

"Okay calm down Mai" Mai told herself. "It was nothing. Maybe he didn't even notice…OF COURSE HE NOTICED!" Mai said as she put her hands to head.

"Noticed what?" Naru asked from behind her. Mai jumped and turned around to find him standing there in the doorway.

"N-nothing" Mai said.

"I noticed…nothing?" Naru asked, unsure of what she meant.

"Well, no what I meant was…" Mai tried to think of something but couldn't. "What do you want anyway?"

"I ran out of tea."

"But I just gave you some!" Mai complained.

"And I am out."

"Well whose fault is that?"

"Well, I believe it is yours since you were not here to make my tea when you were suppose to." Naru said as he took a step closer.

"Maybe you shouldn't have eaten the cupcake!" Mai yelled. She turned around and put the kettle back on the burner. "Tea addicted jerk." Mai mumbled under her breath.

"Then maybe I should find something else to become addicted to." said a voice in her ear. Mai didn't have time to think of what was going on when she was suddenly turned around and pressed up against the counter. Naru had pinned her there as he crashed his lips with hers, stunning her for a moment. As things began to quickly register in her mind, her eye lids slid closed and she began to return some of the pressure. She opened her mouth to let him in as her fingers crawled up to the back of Naru's neck and entangling themselves in his hair, pulling him closer to her. She then found herself, with the help of Naru, jumping onto the counter behind her. Naru's hands snaked down her thighs and to her legs, which he wrapped around himself as he moved closer to her. Mai didn't seem to even notice this as she kissed him with a blank mind.

Mai felt Naru pull back after a few moments because he need air some air. She opened her eyes and looked into his dark blue ones which were staring at her. He then chuckled to himself quietly.

"What is so funny?" Mai asked, a little out of breath.

"You still taste like a cupcake." He said. "Maybe I should be come addicted to that."

"Me or the cupcake?" Mai asked him, a smile tracing her lips. Naru laughed to himself before saying "Either one is fine with me." He then leaned forward and kissed her again.


	7. Chapter 6 Ddurga

_Written for Ddurga_

Mai sat at the table in the small café, staring at the napkin that was in front of her. She gave a small yawn, which she quickly covered as the person she was waiting for walked in. She waved her hand, so that he could see her. He smiled to her as he saw her and began to walk over. His blond hair that was clean and combed covered his shinning blue eyes.

"Hey Mai." He said as he reached her. He took the seat across from her as a waitress came over to greet him.

"May I get you anything?" she asked John.

"Just water please." John said as he smiled up at her. She nodded her head before turning to Mai.

"Can I have another cup of tea?" Mai asked.

"Of course, I will be right back with those." The waitress turned and left to go get there drinks, while John turned to Mai who was staring off into space.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you lately." He asked, trying to get her attention. She looked at him and smiled.

"I have been better I guess." She said. The reason that they have not met in such a long time was that three months ago, Naru told everyone his secret, and left to go back to England without any explanation. Around that time, Mai had also confessed to him about liking him, but he had rejected her. So, without telling anyone, she had locked herself away in her room, crying about how stupid she had been. "How about you? How have you been getting on with….everything that has happened?"

"I have been doing well." John said as the waitress walked over. She placed down the water and tea before standing up and asking. "Can I get you two anything else?"

"I'm good, John?" Mai asked. He shook his head no, and the waitress nodded before leaving to help out another costumer who was trying to get her attention. Mai turned back to John, who continued with what he had been saying. "I have been working up with Father Toujo (Father from the Silent Christmas Case) on my free time, which seems to be growing."

"That's good." Mai said with a smile. "How are the children doing?"

"Better actually. They seem to miss everyone though. Maybe you should stop by some time." John suggested. "They can get lonely very easily."

"Sure I would love to." Mai said. She needed something to do to get her mind of Naru. She reached over and took a sip of her tea. She then noticed that John was watching her. "What?" she asked, confused by the look on his face.

"It's nothing." John said as he smiled at her, Mai looked at him confused before thinking it was nothing and looking out the window.

"I wonder how everyone else is doing." Mai asked as she looked out the window. It was cloudy outside and it looked like it would rain very soon.

"They have been getting along." John said. Mai looked up at him, surprised. "We have been trying to keep in touch. We would go out to eat and meet up to do something every now and then. It's kind of hard though. With all of our different schedule and the new jobs we all had to find."

"Everyone had to find a new job?" Mai asked, sounding worried. Had she really been out of touch with everyone that long that she missed everything that was going on?

"Yes, Ayako and Bou-san had to look all over for one in the area, but since no one was hiring, they had to go outside the Shibuya district. As for Masako, she is still working with the TV station and her show. And Yasuhara is struggling with a job and his new college classes. He says he is getting along, but I am worried. Every time we meet, he looks exhausted."

"How come I was never invited to meet with you guys?" Mai asked. She then covered her mouth, not intending to say that out loud. "I'm sorry I didn't mean that. I mean, I am sure you guys all have reasons and…" Mai let her sentence trail off as she realized how much it bothered her that no one had tried to ask if she wanted to come.

"No one has been able to get in contact with you and since none of us knew where you lived, we guessed that it was better to leave you alone for the time." John explained. "Plus you never answered you cell when we tried to call you. We really wanted you to come, I hope you know that."

"I know." Mai said even though there was still a little hint of doubt in her voice.

"Mai" John said, trying to think of a way to comfort her. He reached out to her but she pulled away and leaned back in her chair.

"It's fine. I know I haven't been easy to deal with after what happened" Mai said, thinking aloud. "I would have just dragged you all down with me anyway."

"That's not true." John said. "Mai, look at me." John said, trying to get her to look up. "We all love you and missed you. Yasuhara and Bou-san even tried to get the police to send out a team to find you. That didn't go to well with them though." Mai laughed a little. She could picture Yasuhara and Bou-san trying to reason with the police. "See, everything will be fine."

"You sure?" Mai asked. John nodded his head before standing up.

"Come on, I want to show you something."

"Alright." Mai said as she stood up. John took out his wallet and left money on the table for the waitress before leading Mai out the door.

They walked down the street for a while, talking about different things. It wasn't until they reached an old shrine that John stopped walking and turned to Mai.

"It's over here." He said as he pointed down the path that was shaded by the trees that stood on either side of it. Mai smiled and followed him down the path, to a clearing, that at the sight of it, made Mai stop.

The clearing was completely covered in ash. The burnt remains of the shrine lay around in a circle towards the back. The tall statues that used to stand tall were now on the ground, covering in soot. The greenery around her was either gone from being burnt, or charred from the fire.

"What…..happened here?" Mai asked as she looked around, tears filling her eyes.

"There was a fire here a few weeks ago. There were some teenagers hanging around, and one of them dropped a match. It only took minutes for everything to burn down." John explained.

"That's horrible!" Mai said as she took a few steps into the charred holy grounds.

"It can be." John said. Mai looked up at him, confused. "That's why I brought you here. I wanted to show you something." He grabbed her hand, which made her heart skip a beat, and lead her towards the center of the area. He stopped and got down on his knees. "Look at this." He pointed to a small green leaf that was sticking out of the ground. "The fire only happened four weeks ago and the earth is already starting to grow here."

Mai crouched down to take a closer look. She saw the small stem that stuck out of the ground, and the tiny little leaf that was already growing out of it. She smiled at the thought that even though something horrible had happened here, something as beautiful like this could grow to replace it. She looked up at John to find him staring at her again, and she felt her face go a little red. Mai moved her hand over her chest, trying to block out the sound of her pounding heart that was overbearing to her.

Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? It wasn't because she and John were alone. They have been alone together before, so that should not have made a difference, but for some reason it seemed to. Was it because she hasn't seen him in months, or because she was just happy that this little leaf was growing? What ever it was, Mai wanted to know.

"Do you feel better now?" John asked, interrupting Mai's thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yea I do." Mai said.

"Alright, let's go back." John said standing up. Mai looked up at him, unsure of what he meant. "The others are waiting for us."

"Others?" Mai asked confused. Then it hit her. "You mean Bou-san, Ayako, and Yasuhara?"

"And Masako." John added. "When you said you wanted to hang out today, I figured you might feel better if you got to see everyone else, so I invited them to meet us at the park at two."

"Oh thank you John!" Mai yelled as she stood up and hugged him. She then suddenly let go, her face going red. "Sorry." She mumbled under her breath as she looked down at the ground.

"It's fine." He said before leaning in a kissing her gently on the cheek. Mai's face went bright red as he pulled back and began to lead the way out of the shrine area. Mai placed her hand on the spot he had kissed her. Her heart raced in her chest as she thought about what had happened. John stopped at the edge of the path and looked back to find her still standing there. "Is everything alright?" he called back.

Mai suddenly snapped back into reality and stammered out a "Y-yes!" before running to catch up with him.


	8. Chapter 7 ddurga74

_Written for ddurga74_

Mai knocked on the office door while holding the tea cup in the other hand. She heard a noise that told her she could come in, so she opened the door and closed it behind her, leaving her in a dark office with the only light being the light from the computer. She walked over and placed down the cup of tea on the desk next to him before turning to leave, but something stopped her. A hand reached out and grabbed hers stopping her. She was then pulled back before she landed onto his lap.

"Lin!" Mai whispered as she looked up at him. He smiled to her before bending down and kissing her.

"Don't worry; as long as we are quiet he can't hear us." He said. She smiled at him before bringing her hand up to his face and pulling it closer to her. She kissed him as she tried to move her body around to face him, making her closer to him. Her hands moved up to the back of his neck, entangling her small fingers in his hair as his hands moved around her waist, keeping her from falling from his lap.

"Mai!" came a voice from outside their door. Mai quickly pulled back from Lin and looked up at the door.

"Shit." She said. She stood up from his lap and grabbed the empty tea cup from earlier. Lin just turned around and went back to work, a smirk on his face. Mai walked to the door and opened it to find Naru standing in his doorway. "Yes?" she asked as she closed Lin's door behind her. Naru looked at his door questioningly for a second before shaking it off and saying. "We have a client coming today at four. Have tea ready for them." He said before returning to his office, but before the door closed, she heard him say "Tea."

Mai sighed as she went into the kitchen to make more tea. On the counter was Naru's cup of tea, but by now it was probably cold, so she would have to make an entirely new cup for him.

As she waited for the water to boil, Mai placed her hand on her lips as she thought of how his lips felt on hers. They have been secretly dating for over a month now, and Mai has enjoyed every minute of it. They would go out on late night dates after Naru had gone home, or they would sneak a lunch break every now and then. But the thing that excited her the most was that tonight they had another date, and she could not wait. She only had four more hours before they were planned to close and then it was off to a fancy restaurant with Lin.

There was a whistle behind her, telling her the tea was done, so Mai stood up pulled the kettle off of the burner. She poured the hot water into a small cup and waited for it to turn a light brown color. Mai then placed the cup on a tray and carried it into the office next to Lin's. She knocked.

"Come in." Naru called from behind the door. Mai walked in and closed the door behind her as she walked over to his desk. She took the cup off of the tray and placed it on the desk. She then stood there, waiting for Naru to say something. Naru just continue to ignore her as he read over the information the client had given him over the phone.

"Yes?" he asked. Mai just turned around and walked out, not wanting to get in a fight with him. She didn't want anything to ruin this day for her.

Two hours later, Mai found herself sitting at her desk, bored out of her mind. She had been filing paper work for the last hour and she couldn't take it anymore. Mai glanced at her cloak to find that the client should be there any minute now, so she decided to go make tea. She stood up and went into the kitchen to fill up the kettle when she heard the bell as the door opened up.

"Hello?" called a small voice. Mai placed the kettle on the burner before going to great their guest. Once the guest had her tea and Naru and Lin were both sitting on the couch, the meeting began. Mai took her seat next to the client, which just happened to be across from Lin, who gave her a small smile.

Mai spent the rest of the meeting trying to focus on the client, but her mind kept wondering to thoughts of tonight or she would catch herself glancing at Lin.

_Focus Mai! We only have two more hours of work before we can go on our date. Until then, I need to focus on this client. She came here for our help; the least I can do is listen to her. _Mai glanced at Lin quickly to find him typing on his laptop as the woman told him the things that she has been experiencing. _Focus Mai!_

"Mai!" yelled Naru. Mai snapped out of her thoughts and looked to find him glaring at her.

"Yes?" she asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Would you be so kind as to show our client the way out?" Naru said. Mai nodded her head as she stood up to find that the client was already standing and waiting for her.

"Sorry." Mai mumbled under her breath. The client smiled at her and said once they were by the door and out of their ear shot. "He seems like a nice man. You should be happy."

"What?" Mai asked. The woman smiled and said. "Ah young love." She then bowed to Naru and Lin who were now standing before leaving. Mai turned to find Naru glaring at her.

"Would you care to explain what that was about?" He asked her.

"No." Mai answered with a smile before heading to clean up the empty cups.

"Whatever." He said before heading back to his office. Mai cleaned up the cups and placed them in the sink. She turned on the water to let them soak before turning around to find Lin standing there, watching her.

"We have to talk." He said quietly. "Come to my office, so Naru doesn't hear." He said before turning around and leading her to his office. He opened the door and held it open for her.

"What's up?" she asked as he closed the door behind her.

"I have to cancel tonight." Lin said sadly

"What why?" Mai asked as she looked up at him.

"Naru thinks that this case might get dangerous if we wait any longer. We are heading up to the house tonight to start on the investigation. You are to come up with the others tomorrow."

"But Lin-" Mai tried to plead.

"I know you have been looking forward to this, but it can wait. An innocent woman's life is at stake, and her life is more important then one date. We can always have others."

"I know..." Mai said quietly. "It's just every time we have a special date, something always comes up." She looked up at him.

"I know, but there isn't anything we can do."

"But Lin-" But before she could say anything else he silenced her with a kiss. At first, she wanted to resist but soon she had stopped trying.

Lin pulled back and looked down at her. "I know it's last minute, and I am sorry, but we can always reschedule, can't we?" He asked her. She tried to avoid his gaze, but she couldn't look away for long.

"I guess." She mumbled under her breath, before Lin reached down grabbed her chin. He put her lips to his before slowly kissing her passionately. Mai wrapped her arms around his neck as Lin pushed their bodies closer against the wall. Their kiss soon began to deepen, and before they knew it, they had forgotten everything around them.

"Lin" called Naru through the door. Lin pulled back from Mai and looked at the door. "I'll be in the car. Try to hurry up." He said before they heard his footsteps slowly fading and the closing of the door. Both of Mai and Lin's hearts were pounding against their chest as their breaths matched each others.

"I guess I should go." He said to Mai. Mai nodded her head before un-wrapping her arms from around him and standing against the wall, waiting for him to go. Lin looked down at her, not happy about seeing her look upset, but there was nothing he could do. He bent down and kissed Mai on the lips one last time before whispering. "I'll take you somewhere better next time, alright?" he said. He felt her nod her head before he kissed her one last time and leaving.

Mai stood in his office, staring at the door he had just left from. She had been looking so forward to tonight, that now that she couldn't go, she just wanted it to end. She walked over to his chair and sat down in it. It was a spinning chair, and since she had no desire to go home yet and there was nothing better to do, she pulled it away from the desk and begun to spin around in it. She spun around for a while until she hit her head off of the desk.

"Ow!" Mai yelled as she fell off of the chair and onto the ground. She covered her head where she had hit it and bent over in pain. She then wished that Lin would come back soon to kiss it better.


	9. Chapter 8 Ariana Taniyama

_Written for Ariana Taniyama_

"Here you are" Mai said as she placed down a cup of tea. Masako nodded her head in thanks as she reached out and picked it up as she took a small sip.

"So, Mai, it's been how many weeks now?" Bou-san asked, as he leaned back on the couch, his arm laying across the back of it. Ayako, who was sitting next to him glared at him from the corner of her eyes before taking a sip of the tea Mai had placed down in front of her.

"Um…I think about four weeks now actually." Mai said as she thought of the answer. She pressed the empty tray against her chest as she thought about it.

Masako tried to drown out their conversation, not wanting to hear about Mai and Naru's love life. It has been four weeks since they have officially started dating, and in truth, Naru still treats her the same as he did before they started dating.

"Hello~" yelled Yasuhara as he walked into the door. He was wearing his school uniform and carrying his school bag that was full of books. He dropped his bag by the door and walked over to Mai, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him. "How is my sweet Mai-chan~? Is Naru-chan treating you right? Do I have to teach him a lesson on to make love to a lady?"

"Yasu!" Mai said, her face going red.

"Hehe you look so cute when you are all flustered like that Mai-chan." Yasuhara said. Masako looked away from the scene in front of her, finding the plate of cookies on the table very interesting. "Where is Naru-chan? He should see this!" Yasuhara said as Masako took another sip of her tea. "Unless….you want me to keep it all for myself?" Yasuhara whispered in her ear, making her go even redder.

"I would ask that you let go of my employee to let her finish the work she has yet to start." said a voice from behind them. They all looked to find Naru standing in the doorway of his office, glaring at Yasuhara. Yasuhara immediately let go of Mai, but kept his playful smile on.

"Aww, is Naru-chan jealous?" Yasuhara asked. Naru remained silent. "Here, I'll give you a hug, so that you won't be jealous of me anymore!" Yasuhara began to walk over to Naru, but stopped when he sensed the death coming from him. "….John!" Yasuhara said as he spun around quickly and ran over to John, who was sitting on the couch across from Masako, who put down her tea.

"Ah-yes?" John asked, suddenly nervous. Yasuhara ran over to him and gave him a hug while saying, "Naru-chan is being a meanie!"

"Well…um…" John said, not sure what to say.

"Would stop acting like a five year old, and trying acting your own age for once?" Masako said as she held up her sleeve to cover her mouth. Yasuhara looked at her for a moment, before letting go of John and walking over to her. Masako watched him as he walked behind the couch and stopped behind her. "What do you think you-" before Masako could finish, Yasuhara wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug from behind, surprising her.

"Aww you just need a hug!" he said. Masako's face went bright red as she tensed up. She did not like the fact that he was so closer to her. As he continued to hug her, she felt everyone's gaze on her.

"Would you-" Masako tried to get him off of her, but her body would not move and the words would not come to her. "Let go!" She said, finally getting control. She brushed her hands up, so that it brushed up against his, making him let go. "You are acting way to childish, and truthfully, it is very embarrassing!" Masako said as she tried to get her heart from beating so fast. She couldn't figure out why it was acting that way or why she was suddenly so nervous, but if she had to guess, it was from Naru being in the room and having to see that.

"I think Masako is the one who is more embarrassed." Bou-san pointed out. Everyone laughed as they saw her face go even redder then it was a moment ago.

"I don't have to take this." Masako said as she stomped her foot. Everyone went quiet. "We are here to work, not play around like kids in elementary school, so when you have decided that you want to work again, you know how to reach me." She said before she stormed out the door, slamming it in the process.

Everyone looked at the door, wondering if she was coming back.

"Do you think she is coming back?" John asked in the silence.

"I don't think so." Bou-san said. "But who cares, we don't need her. She just ruins the fun anyway."

Masako walked down the empty street, fuming about what had happened_. How could hey all act so child like? It is ridiculous! They are all professionals, or at least two of them are, but they should at least act like some! And how dare Yasuhara touch me without my permission! I mean, he could've been dirty or had gotten something on his uniform on the way there or something! Either way, it was not right! Look, I am still shaking from it. _

Masako stopped for a moment and looked down at her hands. They were shaking. _I am shaking because of anger….right?_ Masako thought, doubting herself for a moment. _Yes, they are shaking because I am mad. _Masako unconsciously reached up and touched her neck where Yasuhara had touched her moments ago. She could feel the heat start to rise back up to her face for a moment, before she heard something behind her.

"Masako, wait up!" called a voice. Masako turned around to find Yasuhara running towards her. Masako just turned around and continued to walk away, pretending not to have seen him. "Hey" Yasuhara said as he caught up to her. "Why did you leave?"

"I told you, it was because they were all acting like children." Masako stated as she covered her mouth with her sleeve.

"But I was the only one acting childish." Yasuhara said in a serious voice. Masako stopped and thought about what he was saying, and it turned out it was true. She felt herself blush a little as she looked away.

"They encourage it, so it makes them at fault to." Why was her heart beating so fast?

"Well that was probably because we have been working on a lot of cases recently and it was just nice to have some fun for once." Yasuhara said. Why did he have to have an answer for everything? Masako still refused to look at him as he continued. "Does that bother you or something? You are jealous that I hugged Mai first aren't you?" Yasuhara took a step forward and held up his arms. "Here, I will give you a special hug!"

"I don't want a special hug!" Masako yelled as she took a step away. Yasuhara looked hurt for a moment, then quickly recovered and said. "Oh, then how about a special cookie?"

"You brought a cookie with you?" Masako asked, turning her eyes to face him.

"No." Yasuhara said plainly. "Why did you?"

"Why would you tell me you brought a cookie when you didn't?" Masako asked, turning to face him completely.

"I never said I had a cookie. I just asked if you wanted one. I mean really, Masako, you should pay attention more when people talk to you." Yasuhara said. Masako just stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment. "Well, I know it is kinda hard to pay attention when you have someone as handsome as me around, but I guess there is nothing I can do." Masako just watched Yasuhara go on and on about this. It confused her for a moment because she had no idea what to do. Did she just walk away and never look back, or run back to the office and ask for help to get away from him? "Even still, you should still be able to." Yasuhara looked at her and noticed that he had lost her somewhere in the conversation. "Are you paying attention?"

"No."

"Do I have to go through that entire explanation again?" Yasuhara asked as he put his hands on his hips.

"That is not necessary." Masako said, before turning to walk away. "I am taking my leave now."

"Hold up!" Yasuhara said as he reached out his hand and grabbed her hand. She turned around surprised by his actions, but before she could say anything, she found Yasuhara's lips on hers. Masako didn't know what to do or how to react to what was happening but before she could do anything, her body seemed to move on its own. Her eye lids slid closed as she returned the pressure and kissed him back.

Just as soon as it had started, it ended.

"You forgot your special kiss." Yasuhara whispered when he pulled back from her, keeping his face inches from hers. Masako opened her eyes, surprised be her reactions.

"Well see you later!" Yasuhara yelled as he pulled back and began to run back to the office.

Masako watched him for a while, even after he was out of sight, her finger tips on her lips where he had kissed her. She could still feel his lips on hers and she had no idea what to think of that. All she knew was that she could not, no matter how hard she tried, get her heart to stop beating so quickly.


	10. Chapter 9 Jade Starlight

_Written for Jade Starlight_

"Mommy Mommy!" screamed a little boy as he ran over to the woman standing in the kitchen. She turned around and picked up the boy, holding him against herself as she looked at him.

"What is it?" She asked as she placed down the towel she was using to dry dishes. The woman had short brown hair that barely touched her shoulders, and had bangs that covered a part of her brown eyes. She was on the smaller side, and still looked extremely young, but she was near her early thirties by now.

The little boy looked up at her with his cute smile and asked "Tell me about when you and daddy met!" The woman laughed as she re-arranged her hold on her son.

"Why do you want to know about that?" she asked as she carried him over to the couch. She sat down, and let the boy sit on her lap as he stared up at her with big blue eyes.

"Cause daddy was talking about it yesterday with someone and I wanted to hear your side mommy!" he said excitedly. The woman laughed as she thought back a few years to when she had first met the love of her life.

"Well it was a spring afternoon and I was with some friends telling _scary_ ghost stories in the dark in one of our school's classrooms. And to make it even scarier we would have these hand held lights that after one of us finished a story we would shut the light off until there was no one left. Then counting off we said 'One…Two…Three' then out of nowhere a voice said four."

"Ahh! Mommy was it ghost? Was it a ghost?" The woman laughed at her son. Then she admitted something to her son. "You know at first I thought it was too but can you guess who it really was?" The boy shook his head furiously and the woman smiled. "It was your dad. He scared the living daylight out of me and he acted as if he did nothing wrong."

"Bad daddy. He shouldn't be scarin' mommy at all."

"No he shouldn't but he did and because of it I got to meet him and then I got you." The woman said looking down at her son. The son looked really confused at his mother.

"So, not so bad daddy." The woman bit her lip, a habit she never really out grew.

"Yeah"She said softly.

"Mommy?"The boy asked.

"Yes hunny?" The woman looked down at her son. The boy avoided her gaze and asked. "When did you and daddy fall in love?" The woman looked at him in shock.

"Sweety, what is exactly bringing all of this up?" she asked. She noticed that her son looked nervous but she pried further. "Gene" she called to him in a stern voice. The boy's faced scrunched together as if to give up and be frustrated with that fact. Then suddenly, his face soften and he looked up to his mother.

"Well…Uncle Yasu said that daddy didn't always love mommy and that he was really, really meany." The boy said in the most innocent voice. The woman sighed and muttered. "Leave it to Yasu to open his big mouth."

"Mommy, is it true?"The boy's voiced asked bringing the mother out of her thoughts.

"Well, it's more like your dad and I fell in love at different times. I fell in love with your father long before he ever did. Do you understand?" The woman's voice was slow and calm. She waited to see the boy's response when he suddenly nodded his head. "Good." She replied with a smile and the boy smiled back. The woman believed that she had just avoided her bomb with children when her son suddenly asked. "So when did daddy fall in love with you?"

"Ahh…you would have to ask him, sweetheart." The woman replied quickly. The boy, however, wasn't done yet and asked. "So when did you and daddy finally get to together?" The woman sighed loudly, and then looking at her son's curious face she said. "Gene…your dad and I got together…" The woman paused thinking about her next choice of words. "Let me start over, okay?" The boy nodded. "It was two years after your dad returned from England with Lin after he had left the rest of us behind almost a year before." The boy huffed loudly and said. " Daddy big idiot." The woman laughed.

"Yes he was, however, if you keep interrupting me I won't be able to finish the story." The women threatened playfully. "Once your dad returned from England, his company was opened up again and the entire team came back including me. But now, fast forwarding two years later, I was still working for your dad and everything seemed pretty good."

"But it wasn't cause mommy and daddy weren't together?" The boy yelled. The woman looked at her son giving him a warning and he remembers that he was supposed to be quiet. So, he slapped his hands over his mouth and mumbled out. "I'm sorry." The woman giggles and continues on.

"As I was saying, at the time your mom was dating other guys because she couldn't wait forever for your daddy. So, I had a few boyfriends and some were nice others no but I was content. However, one day we got a case where people were being hurt by unknown forces so your daddy took the case and we all drove to countryside. "When we got out there we saw this beautiful old mansion where we were going to investigate and like usually your dad, Lin and I went out to greet the customer to find out where to put our equipment. However, instead of an older man we were greeted by his son and it seemed that he took a liking to me." The woman took a look at her son to see his eyes grow big. "He was nice and sweet to us but your dad saw right through it and got very, very jealous. Every time he had tried to talk to me your dad was there, right at my side and kept him away from me as much as possible. That was until I yelled at him to back off." The boy gasped causing the woman to smile. "But it was that same moment that your dad told me that he was in love with me and we have been together since."

"Daddy never likes it when other men approach mommy."

"Gene" The woman exclaimed, shocked that he would even know something like that.

"What mommy? I see daddy glaring at ever guy around you, even Uncle Yasu." The woman looked hopelessly at her son.

"You are so much like your dad." The boy smiled up to her. Suddenly the woman and her son were interrupted with the sound of an opening door. From behind the door came a dark haired man dressed in a dark business suit.

"Daddy!" The boy yelled, jumping off his mother's lap and running into the man's arms. The man grabbed the boy swiftly picking him up and resting him on his hip. The boy wrapped his arms around his neck and gave him a hug. The woman smiled at the pair. Once the boy pulled away he said. "Welcome back daddy." The man just smiled and kissed the boy's forehead. The woman then got up off the couch and walked over to the pair.

"I'm assuming you would like a cup of tea, right?" she said kissing her husband sweetly on the mouth.

"Yuck, gross." The boy yelled, trying to squeeze his way between them. The woman laughed while the man just smirked at his son. He then asked. "How was your day Gene?"

"It was good. Mommy told me stories today." The boy replied.

"Yes, he wanted to know about how we meet and how we fell in love." The mother replied walking into the kitchen to start a cup of tea. The man just looked at his son curiously. "And Gene, why don't you tell your father who gave you the idea to ask?" The boy froze, looking at his father. The man looked at his son and said. "Gene?"

The boy gulped and quietly said. "Uncle Yasu"

"Did he now? I guess I will just have to have a chat with him tomorrow when I see him." The boy gave his father a guilty look.

"Gene, why don't you get ready for dinner?" The woman asked, coming out of the kitchen. The boy nodded and looked to his father to let him down. The man understood and placed him down and the boy took off to the bathroom to wash up. The woman watched as her son left then walked over to her husband.

"Why did you have to scare him like that?" The man looked at his wife and said. "Mai, I don't know what you are talking about."

The woman just looked at her husband and replied. "Oliver Davis, we both know you will never have a chat with Yasuhara. He freaks even you out." The man just ignored her comment and walked into the kitchen. Mai just smiled at him and followed close behind him, remembering that she was making tea.

"You are right," The man named Oliver Davis said as he stopped in the kitchen and turned to face his wife. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. "But maybe I wanted to hear the story."

"Well maybe I can tell you it later." Mai whispered as she leaned closer. "You know , as a bed time story."

"Or" He said, finding a better solution. "You can tell me another day, and we do something else in bed tonight." Mai gave a small laugh before kissing him, not caring that the water for his tea was whistling behind them.


	11. Chapter 10 ChrysanthiaSunshine

_Written for Chrysanthia-Sunshine_

_(part 2)  
_

Mai followed Naru down the hall and back to the room that he was staying at. He opened the door, and walked into the room, not bothering to hold the door open for her.

"Naru" Mai said as she closed the door behind her and walked towards the bed. Naru was already sitting on the bed, his head in his hands. He was completely exhausted, and he just wanted to go to bed.

"What Mai?" Naru asked, not hiding the annoyance in his voice. Mai stopped in front of him and put her hands behind her back.

"Um….I just wanted to say thanks." Mai said. Naru looked up at her and, even though it was pitch black, he could see that her face was extremely red. Naru sighed as he ran through his fingers through his hair. "It's fine. Could we just go to sleep?"

Mai climbed in bed and moved next to the wall. She slid under the covers and pulled them over her shoulder as she watched Naru slid under the covers next to her. He turned on his side, his back to her as he began to fall asleep.

_Crack _

The sound broke the silence that was between them. Mai felt herself jump a little, before she felt herself shrink in. She wanted to curl into a ball to keep herself warm, but if she did, she would be touching Naru and she didn't want that.

Thunder suddenly started to rumble again before sending a loud crack through the sky once more. Mai wined as she pushed against the wall and curled slowly into a ball. It was pitch black in the room and she was scared out of her mind. Everywhere she looked, in the corner of her eye, she could see a shadow that didn't belong only to see that it was her imagination.

"You're not going to sleep are you?" Naru's voice was low and sounding tired.

"I can't" Mai said, unable to keep her voice from cracking. Naru sighed before shifting his body around to face her. He then reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "W-What are you doing?"

"It's an old trick I learned when I was little." He said as he held her close to him and placed his arms around her and covered her ear with his hand.

Mai felt her face go red as Naru did this. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, and being afraid that Naru might feel it too, she wiggled her hands in between them and placed them over her heart.

"N-naru?" Mai asked. She didn't hear him answer. "Naru?" She asked. She was starting to grow sleepy and she didn't want to fall asleep like this.

"Hmm?" She heard Naru asked. It sounded as if he was already half-asleep already.

"I-" Mai was cut off when she noticed that her eyes lids were starting to close. She snapped them opened, but they didn't stay open for long. Since everything around her was silent, and she could no longer hear the thunder that kept her up, she was starting to feel the strength from herself start to vanish. "I…than…" Before Mai could finish, she found herself asleep in Naru's arms.

Naru waited for her to finish, but she never did, so he moved back to look down at her. She was asleep.

_Finally_, he thought. _I can get some sleep._ But as soon as he thought that, the thunder from outside boomed loudly, suddenly waking him up. _You have got to be kidding me_. He thought as he realized that he was now suddenly awake and aware of everything going on around him.

He looked down to find that Mai was fast asleep, and wished that was him, but when he looked closer, he could see just how peaceful she looked at the moment. Her pale skin reflected in the darkness, making her rosy cheeks stand out a little more than usual. Her brown hair was laying slightly on her face, which he brushed away. This was the first time he has seen Mai like this, and it made his heart beat a little faster than normal.

Another rumble of thunder echoed, this time, it slowly sounding further and further away, meaning that it was coming to an end. Naru was thankful for this, because now he was starting to feel tired again. Within a few more minutes of endless waiting, Naru finally fell asleep.

Mai groaned as she tried to move, waiting to go back to sleep. It was still too early and she was still tired. _Why am I so tired?_Mai asked as she opened her eyes a little. The first thing she saw was black. _Oh it must still be night_. Mai thought as she shifted a little and closed her eyes. She liked the warmth that she was feeling. It had been so cold last night with the thunder storm, but now she was nice and warm. Then she started to remember the events of last night. Every single one leading up to the very last thing she did before she went to bed.

Mai's eyes snapped opened and when she looked closer, she noticed that the blackness in front of her was actually Naru's shirt and the warmth she felt was from being so close to him. Mai felt her face go red as she began tense. Naru was holding her close to him and if she tried to move even an inch, she would wake him.

_Oh my god, what am I going to do? _Mai thought to herself. She titled her head up a little and looked at Naru. His face was its usual pale color and his raven black hair lay across the white pillow, some of it covering his face. Mai felt her heart start to beat quickly as she noticed that he had both arms around her, one of his head touching the back of her head.

_Why did it have to end up like this?_ Mai screamed in her mind as she buried her face. She couldn't believe she was stuck in this position and what was even worse she didn't know how to get out of it. If she tried to move, he would surely wake but if she just sat there, he would wake with her in his arms, and she couldn't think of which one would be more embarrassing.

"N-Naru?" Mai whispered, hoping that he was only half awake so she could convince him to let her go without him remembering it, but he didn't answer. _Maybe he is in a deep enough sleep that I can just sneak out?_ Mai thought, hoping more than anything that it was true. She adjusted her body a little so that she could easily wrap herself from Naru's arms. The whole time she was trying to get out, Mai refused to let her eyes trail off from Naru's face. She didn't want him to wake, and if there was a little hint of him waking, she would stop. That was the only thing she could think of to do.

Finally after a few minutes, Mai was able to get untangled from Naru. She sat up on the bed and looked down at his sleeping body. It looked so peaceful, that she kinda wished that it would stay that way.

Mai climbed off of the bed as quietly as possible before tip-toeing across the floor and over to the door. She opened it barely enough to get herself through before closing it slowly. Once she was out of his room and in the hall, she headed towards the bathroom as quickly as possible

In the bathroom, Mai ran over to the sink, turned on the water before cupping her hands under it and splashing her face with it. She did it two more times before reaching for a towel and wiping her face. She couldn't believe she had just spent the night sleeping next to Naru. Not only next to him, but in his arms all night.

"How the hell did we even end up like that anyway?" Mai tried to think back to how they got there, and when she remembered, she wished she hadn't. "That's right. I was scared by the thunder and Naru had to cover my ear to make me go to sleep." Mai said to herself as she put the towel down. "Oh well, maybe he won't remember." Mai said as she walked out of the bathroom and into her kitchen. She turned on the burner that had the kettle full of water, knowing that when Naru woke up, he would want some tea.

Naru opened his eyes at the sound of a loud crashing noise coming from the kitchen. She sat up quickly and looked around, suddenly remembering where he was. He looked down at the bed next to him to find that no one was there.

_She must be up already._ He thought to himself as he placed his head in his head. He was still extremely tired and the event of last night didn't help him in anyway. He had come here to get a good night sleep, only to have stayed up most of the night, waiting for Mai to go to sleep because of a measly thunder storm. He couldn't image what she must go through when she is here all by herself and that happens.

Naru threw his legs off the bed and sighed. Now he had to go to work even more tired than he was yesterday, and if he remembered correctly, he had three clients coming today to talk with him. This was not going to be a good day. Well, he could always take the day off, but that would accomplish nothing.

Naru stood up and headed for the kitchen. He walked down the hall and into the living room when there was a knock on the door. He saw Mai rush out of the kitchen to get it.

"Coming!" she said as she was almost there. _What was the point of saying that when she was practically at the door already_? Naru thought as he made his way to the door to see who it was.

"Oh hello, Miss Taniyama." Said a voice that Naru recognized as the lady from last night.

"Oh morning." Mai said with a cheery voice.

"I just wanted to tell you that the power is back on now, so you may use it." Came the voice.

"Oh thank you." Mai said. Then just as Naru thought there conversation was over, he heard. "Oh and, if you don't mind me asking, where is that lovely young boy from last night?"

"Oh Naru?" Mao said. "He is still in bed. I guess you could say he has had a long night." Naru could hear the embarrassment in her voice, and that made him smile.

"Oh, well I see, then I shall leave the two of you alone." She said before her footsteps started to fade.

"Oh wait!" Mai called after her, stepping into the hallway. "That wasn't what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?" Naru asked, peeking around the corner of the doorway. Mai turned around to feel her face go bright red.

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked. Naru looked at her confused.

"You told me to stay the night remember?"

"That's not what I meant!" Mai yelled at him. "What are you doing out of bed!"

"What, now I am not allowed to leave the bed?" Naru asked in a mocking tone. "Cause if that is so, then you might have to have joined me later on, since it would have gotten lonely."

"Why you-" Mai was cut off by Naru when he said. "If you scream any louder, you will wake the neighbors and give them the wrong idea. Mai's face went even more red as he said this. "Unless, that is what you want?" Mai was speechless. How could he be teasing her this early in the morning?

There was a whistle behind them and Mai found that was a way to escape. She pushed past him and into the kitchen to finish making his tea. Naru smiled to himself as he closed the door behind him on his way in.


End file.
